Cutter



p 16. 9 6. ,HQ MARTIN. 2,398,383

CUTTER Filed March 2, 1942 h; e. MAer/N Patented Apr. 16, 1946 *CUTTEI}y Harry R. Martin; Po lklcolintyflowa V Application March 2, 1942,Serial o. 433,074 n Claims. (o1.1'46-1c9).-; Y

This invention relates to mechanical cutting devices, and is morespecifically concerned with devices of this type which are adapted tosimultaneously produce a plurality of cut articles'of predeterminedshape.

One of the major tasks in the kitchen of ,pub I lie eating houses is thecutting of potatoesfor French frying. Especially is this truein thehigher class hotels and restaurants where a substantial degree ofuniformity in the pieces of potatoes served is desirable. While deviceshave been provided which have as their purpose the reduction of themanual labor required in connection with this task, they have not beenhighly successful and the normal procedure in eating establishments isto cut the potatoes into the desired elongated chunks by means. of along chef knife. Obviously this method of cutting requires a verysubstantial amount of time, often necessitating, in the larger sizedcafes and hetels, the employment of one or more persons'to perform thistask exclusively. 1

It is'an object of this invention to provide a device for satisfactorilycutting substantial quantitles of fruits,.vegetables and othermaterials.

a relatively into predetermined shapes within brief period of time.

. Another object of this invention is to provide in such a device, meanswhereby the cutting knife is automatically maintained in a relativelyunobstructed condition. r

A further object of this invention is to provide such a device whichisadaptable to cut pieces of various shapes.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cutter in which theobject .being cut is held comparatively securely against undesiredmovement during the cutting.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide in a device of thetype referred to an automatic feed structure. a

A still further object of this invention is to provide in a cuttingdevice a novel feed control.

An additional object is to provide a cutter of the type contemplatedwith a cutting structure which does not become dull from usage and whichis readily replaceable. r

In general in its preferred form my invention includes a frame at leastpartially inclosed by a housing adapted to protect the operator and/orbystanders from the working parts. At one end of the frame a verticallydisposed'knife comprising a plurality of spaced apart, interwovenstrands of high tensile strength wire is supported.

Supported uponthe frame and slidable alongits Fig. 2.

ployedthe reference characters It] and frame.

plane of the main frame. In said knife-22 maybe readily it becomesbroken. The

of the Castirig 25 are length is .a reciprocating'fplung'er. or pusheradapted to force through the vertical knife the article to be cut. vAlaterally disposed downward- 1y inclined ramp'servesas a hopper and feedto supply uncut material. j z I In order. that aclear and concise,understanding offmy invention may be hadgreference is made to the.accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification. v

Figflis a perspective view of one embodiment of my invention. J i

Fig. 2'is'a plan View 'of the feed stop and its associated control armemployed in the preferred formof my invention, together with a fragmentof the'preferred type of theslotted member or strap which engages saidcontrolarm, said parts being, at the moment, in positions such that thesaid stop is substantiallyinoperative to halt the flow of feed..The'dot-dash line C designates the axis of rotation ofthe assembly.

Fig. 3is a frontelevation of the assembly of {4 is anend elevation ofthe assembly'of Fig. 2,ithe point of intersection of dot-dash lines A.an dQ B designating the axis of rotation'of the assembly; and

Fig. 5 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 4 except that the feed stop' has movedinto approximately its most operative position with correspondingchanges inthe positions ofthe associated parts. Beferring to the drawingin detail I have em- Y H to designate the side beams or members of themain The end members are designated by the numerals and [3. The saidmain frame is shown as supported at its rear end by legs l4 and 15 andat its forward endby legs I6 and IT. The legs l6 and I! are providedwith portions l8 and I9 1 respectively extending upwardly above the prtions l8 and 19 are provided opposed channels 20 and 2|. The knife 22comprising preferably a plurality ofinterwoven spaced apart strands ofhigh tensile strength wirehaving relatively small diameter is mountedbetween the two halves 23 and 24 of a meral'2 5. Fasteners 26 areprovided for securing .the half; castings 23and 24 togetherand forcausing them to snugly press and hold the marginal edges of the knife22. By this constructionthe replaced if, for example, adjacent faces ofthese half castings 23 and24 may be roughened to increase theirgrippingiability. The vertical edges provided with tongues such anarrangement is highly desirable for it permits the use of various knifestructures in my device as will appear more clearly hereafter thus";;--

enabling the successful production of articles of varied shapes.

Adjustment screws orsuitable" substitutes 21, 28 and 29, and 3|), arepreferably in; H

stalled respectively in the members l8, |3, and

I9, in order to provide means for adjusting both the lateral andvertical position of the knife structure within its supporting rack. Ifdesired, tongue and groove structure may be provided at the inner faceof the member I3 and the lower rail of the'casting 25. Adjacent theknife structure and extendingrearwardly therefrom for a substantialdistance is the platform 3| supported upon the main frame structure andpreferably raised slightly in order that its top surface is at least ashigh as the top face of the lower rail of the casting 25. The auxiliaryframe 32 is 'slidably supported upon the main frame by means of doublesleeves 33, 34, 35, and 36, or by other suitable structure. As shown inthe drawing, vertically disposed posts 31 and 38 extend upwardly fromthe forward end of the auxiliary frame 32 and engage plunger or pushermember 39. The pusher 39 is preferably detachable from the posts 31 and38 as, for example, bybeing verticall slidable thereon. The forwardlyextended portion of the pusher 39 is of a size such that it is capableof being received within the inner periphery of the casting and on theforward face of said pusher 39 is provided a multiplicity of smallgrooves 40 some of which extend in a. generally horizontal direction andothers of which extend in a generally vertical direction. By thisconstruction the extreme forward portion of the forward face of thepusher 39 extends at least through the knife 22 and may extend slightlyforward thereof when the said pusher is in its forwardmost position forthe arrangement is such that the wires of the knife '22 register withand are capable of being received in some of the grooves 49. The resultis that substantially all of the material being cut i forced from theknife 22 at least by the completion of the forward advance of the pusher39. I have found that a desirable spacement for parallel grooves 40 isapproximately one-eighth inch. The wires of the knife 22 are then spacedat intervals of one-eighth inch or multiples thereof so that meshing ofall of the wires of the knife 22 and the grooves 40 is insured providedany of the said wires mesh with grooves. Meshing is secured byadjustment of the screws 21, 28 and 29, and 30. When it is desired, forexample, to cut potatoes into American fries a knife may be inserted inthe channels 29 and 2| which has parallel wires spaced apart, forinstance one-eighthinch and which has interwoven cross wires spacedapart an inch or some other substantial distance which is a multiple ofone-eighth inch. If French fried potatoes are desired, a knife structuremay be mounted in the device which has the wires in both the horizontaland vertical groups spaced from one another, for instance, three-eighthof an inch. The knives being in their proper and aligned positions intheir rack in the device, it is obvious that in each of the foregoingillustrations the wires of the knives will mesh in some of the grooves49 when the pusher 39 is in its forward position. For the purpose ofimparting reciprocating motion to the auxiliary frame 32 I have provideda crank shaft 5| mounted on the main frame by means of bearing 42 and43. The connecting rod 44 joins thesaid auxiliar frame 32 with-the crankshaftAL, A crank handle 44a adapted to manual operation has been shownin the drawing; obviously, however, a sheave or other "suitable membermay be attached to the end of 1 the crank shaft 4| and the said crankshaft driven from a power source such as an electric motor.

' Opti nally the connecting rod 45 may be provided with meansforadjusting its length, a for example, the turn buckle 45 shown in thedrawing. Adjustment of the length of the connecting rod 44 permitsregulation of the forwardmost point in the stroke of the pusher 39' andhence the depth to which the Wires of the knife 22 mesh into the grooves49. Th feed which I have illustrated for supplying uncut material to mydevice includes the chute or ramp 43 supported at its extended end bythe'legs 41 and 53 and at its end which is adjacent the knife upon themain frame "structure of the device. Obviously it may be supported inany suitable manner. I have shown the chute 46 as of the extendable typeincluding the sections 49 and 50 telescoped together. Turnbuckles 5| and52 are optionally provided in the legs 41 and 48 for regulating theheight of the extended end of the chute 46 and hence the rate at whichthe uncut material is fed into the device. The construction I have shownfor halting the flow of uncut articles into the device while precedingarticles are being cut include the stop 53 rotatably mounted at 54 and55 in suitable bearings in the side walls of the chute section 59. A

curved arm member 56 rigidly connected with the stop 53 engages aninclined slot 51 in the strap 58 which is mounted upon and carried bythe {longitudinally slidable auxiliary frame 32. .As the auxiliary frame32 moves forward beyond a predetermined point which is determined by ad-;justment of the strap 58, slot 51 and arm 55, the strap 58 engages thearm 55 and moves it in wardly and upwardly, thus causing the stop 53 torotate to a generally or at least partiall vertical position. After thepusher 39 has traveled rearwardly from the knife 22 to a predeterminedpoint which may also be controlled by regulation of the strap 58, slot51, and arm 56, the strap 58 engages the arm 56 and forces the samedownwardly and outwardly, thus rotatin the stop 53 into a generallyhorizontal position whereby uncut articles are permitted to flow fromthe chute 56 onto the platform 3| where they are supported between thepusher 39 and knife 22. In dotted lines I have shown the outline of ahousing 59 adapted to inclose at least partially the working parts of mydevice. This housing 59 serves not only as a safety measure, but alsoimproves the appearance of my device and may be streamlined. Theconstruction may be such that the pusher 39 moves rearwardly of thechute 46 to a substantial extent or it may be such that it does not. Ifthe device is being driven from a power source rather than manually itis normally desirable that the pusher have a substantial portion of itsstroke occur sufficiently rearwardly of the knife 22 that uncut articleshave ample time inwhich to take positions on the platform 3| beforebeing engaged by the pusher. Of course, the degree of incline of thechute may be increased to enhance the speed of feeding. The timing maybe such that one or more uncut articles are permitted to flowonto theplatform 3! during each complete stroke of the pusher. a

Inoperating my novel cutter the procedure is to choose the knifestructure having, Wiresso arranged as to adapt it to produce outarticles shaped as desired. This knife is then inserted in the channelsl9 and 20, as heretofore described and the screws 21, 28, 29 and 30adjusted, if necessary, so that the wires of the knife mesh in grooves40 of the pusher 39. Assuming that the trough. 46. has the properdegree.ofincline, the articles to be cut,.,for.exampl potatoes, are then placedin said trough; If desired some may be placeddirectly upon the platform3]. The crank handle 44a is then rotated whereupon the pusher 39, movesforwardly pushing ahead of it the article or articles upon the platform3| and forcing them into and through the knife 22; At the end of .thepushers forward stroke, the forward faces of the protuberances providedthereon by reason of the grooves 40, are, sufficiently far forward toforce the article or articles being cut entirel clear of the cuttingwires. Self-cleaning of the cutting structure is also facilitated byreason of the fact that my device moves the article being cut so thatsaid article or the, cut pieces have a certain amount of momentum whichcarries them forward even after force has ceased to be applied to them,During the forward stroke of the pusher,

'the stop 53 is rotated into operative position as heretofore describedpreventing the further flow of articles to be out onto the platform 3|.As rotation of the crank handle 44a is continued the pusher 39 ismovedrearwardly and the stop 53 is moved into inoperative positionpermittin another uncut article or other uncut articles to flow onto theplatform 31 in front of the pusher. The side wall of the housing 59 mayserve as a stop "forpreventing uncut articles from rolling off from theplatform 3| or other stop means may be provided. A stop locatedcentrally of the transverse of the platform 3| may be provided toregulate the position of articles to be cut when it is intended that twoarticles be cut simultaneously. When such a stop is provided it is of aminimum height so that the first article to leave the chute 46 is able'to .pass over said stop. In some instances a stopfto prevent overflow ofarticles from the platform 3| is unnecessary. The protuberances on theface of the pusher 39 present a roughened surface for engagement withthe article or articles to be cut, thus insuring that said articles willbe held in proper position during the cutting operation. The extendiblefeature of the chute 46 permits the placing of a few or several articlesto be ;cut in the said trough at the same time. If the said chute isextended a substantial number of potatoes, for example, may be placedtherein and the motor turned on, if the device be power driven. Theoperator may then perform other duties while the potatoes are being cut.By the use of a wire cutting knife I provide cutting edges which arecontinually becoming more sharp rather than becoming dull.

If desired legs may be eliminated and the main frame supported bythehOllSing 59; Similarly the members I 8 and it! ma be supported by thehousingf It is not,;of course, inherent in myinvention that the frame inwhich the cutting knife 22 is ,mounted be split or a casting andreplaceability of the knife in the frame is solely a matter ofconvenience and economy. Other means may be meat ad s i he. xa tposition o the knife 3 frame orsuch adjustment may be eliminatedprovided the device is carefully constructed so that variations inalignment do not occur. While a wire knife is preferred blades may beused; in the event that such is done, the grooves 40 should be of ampledepth to receive said blades. Whether the cutting wires or blades bedisposed vertically and horizontally or diagonally is of courseoptional. That the strands of wire comprising the knife be interwoven isnot imperative. In general the smaller the diameter of the wire used,the sharper will be the knife. The platform 3| may bev of any suitabletype and need not be. supported upon the main frame. On the other handit maybe formed integrally with and as a part of the main frame if suchbe used. Obviously, of course, the main fram as a complete unit may bereplaced by suitable substitutes. The auxiliar frame 32 need not be asingle unit and it may be of any advantageous construction. The mannerin which the pusher 3,9 is mounted upon the said auxiliary frame may, ofcourse, be widely varied from that shown. It is not even essential thatsaid pusher be detachabla Also the pusher itself may be of any suitabletype. For example, it may have a substantial number of openingsextending through it. If desired in certain instances, the groove on theface of the pusher 39 may be eliminated when a wire knife is beingemployed and if used they need not be sufliciently deep to entirelyreceive the strands of wire; however, the elimination of the grooves orthe use of shallow grooves is not to be recommended. Any suitable meansfor imparting reciprocatingmotion to the auxiliary frame 32 may beemployed. The feed for supplying uncut material to my device may bevariously positioned relative to said device and may introduce the uncutmaterial at any suitable point, for example, itmay feed from the top.Although the feed structure which I have shown serves very acceptably,obviously any suitable type of feed may be employedin conjunction withthe remainder of my device. The extensible and height adjustablefeatures of the feed shown may be changed or eliminated. Similarly anysuitable constructionmay replace the stop 53 and/or] the means foroperating the same, or these may be obviated. If employed, the stop'5'3maybe otherwise mountedand the strap 58 may be replaced by anappropriate substitute. The device need not be housed; neither is itnecessary that the device be spaced substantially from the table top orother supporting surface upon which it is positioned. The cuttingmembers may extend in only one direction; In connection with describingmy device, I have frequently used potatoes as an' exampleof the materialbeing out. However, the utilit of my device is in no sense limited tocutting of potatoes, for it may be used in the cutting of substantiallyall fruits and vegetables including onions which are relativelydifficult to cut by the common methods of cutting, not only due to theirtoughness but also due to their pungent odor. Also the device may beemployed in industrial plants and elsewhere for cutting other materialsas well as food. The size of the device may vary widely.

While I have described an embodiment of my invention and certainmodifications thereof for illustrative purposes, one skilled in the artwill be able to make other modifications, variations and eliminationsand this without departing from the true spirit and scope of myinventive conception. I wish therefore to be limited herein only by theappendedclaims. fl

l. A cutting device of the type described comprising a frame, removableknife structure including wire cutting members detachably held in asplit frame, means for adjusting the lateral and vertical position ofsaid knife structure, an auxiliary frame slidably mounted upon firstsaid frame, a pusher detachably mounted upon said auxiliary frame andadapted to have its forward portion at times received within said frameof the knife structure, grooves upon the forward face of said pusheradapted to at least partially receive said Wire cutting members, aplatform mounted upon said first frame to the rearward of the knifestructure and adjacent thereto having its upper surface at a level atleast substantially as high as that of the upper face of the lowerportion of the railing of the knife frame, means for impartingreciprocating motion to said auxiliary frame whereby material on saidplatform is forced through said knife structure by said pusher, anextensible chute disposed laterally of first said frame and having oneend adjacent the knife structure, said chute being adapted to delivermaterial onto said platform to the rear of said knife structure to beforced through said knife structure by said pusher, means for adjustingthe height of the extended end of said chute, stop means rotatablymounted in the path of material in said chute adapted to at times haltthe flow of said material from said chute onto said platform, a memberhaving an inclined slot operatively connected to said slidable auxiliaryframe and a curve arm member slidably and partially received in saidinclined slot, the construction being such that said arm is disposed atan angle to the directions of travel of said slotted member and suchthat said arm is rigidly connected to said stop whereby said stop isoperatively rotated upon reciprocation of said auxiliary frame togetherwith said slotted member.

2. A cutting device of the type described comprising a frame, removableknife structure including wire cutting members detachably held by framestructure, means for adjusting the position of the knife structure, anauxiliary frame slidably mounted upon said first frame, a pusher mountedupon said auxiliary frame and adapted to have its forward portion attimes received within the frame of the knife structure, grooves upon theforward face of said pusher adapted to at least partially receive saidwire cutting members, a platform mounted upon said frame to the rearwardof the knife structure and adjacent thereto having its upper surface ata level at least substantially as high as that of the upper surface ofthe lower portion of the railing of the knife frame, means for impartingreciprocating motion to said auxiliary frame whereby material on saidplatform is forced through said knife structure by said pusher, anextensible chute disposed laterally of first said frame and having oneend adjacent the knife structure said chute being adapted to delivermaterial onto said platform to the rear of said knife structure to beforced through said knife structure, by said pusher, means for adjustingthe height of the extended end of said chute and means for controllingthe flow of material from said chute onto said platform.

3. A cutting device of the type described comprising a frame, removableknife structure including wire cutting members detachably held by framestructure, means for adjusting the position of the knife structure, anauxiliary frame slidably mounted upon said first frame, a pusher mountedupon said auxiliary frame and adapted to have its forward portion attimes received within the frame of the knife structure, grooves uponforward face of said pusher adapted to at least partially receive saidwire cutting members, a platform mounted upon said frame to the rearwardof the knife structure and adjacent thereto having its upper surface ata level at least substantially as high as that of the upper surface ofthe lower portion of the railing of the knife frame, means for impartingreciprocating motion to said auxiliary frame whereby material on saidplatform is forced through said knife structure by said pusher, a feedchute adapted to deliver material onto said platform to the rear of saidknife structure to be forced through said knife structure by saidpusher, stop means rotatably mounted in the path of material in saidchute adapted to at times halt the flow of said material from said feedchute onto said platform, amember having an inclined slot operativelyconnected to said slidably auxiliary frame and a curved arm memberslidably and partially received in said inclined slot, the constructionbeing such that said arm is disposed at an angle to the directions oftravel of said slotted member and such that said arm is rigidlyconnected to said stop whereby said stop is operatively rotated uponreciprocation of said auxiliary frame together with said slotted member.

4. A cutting device of the type described comprising a frame, removableknife structure including wire cutting members, a reciprocating pusherslidably mounted at least indirectly on said frame and adapted to forcearticles through said knife structure, grooves on the knife face of saidpusher capable of at least partially receiving said wire cuttingmembers, a platform mounted on said frame to the rear of said knife andadjacent thereto designed to support material immediately prior to itsbeing forced through said knife structure by said pusher, an extensiblechute disposed laterally of said frame and having one end adjacent theknife structure, said chute being adapted to deliver on to said platformmaterial to be forced through said knife structure by said pusher, meansfor adjusting the height of the extended end of said chute, stop meansrotatably mounted in the path of material in said chute adapted to attimes halt the flow of said material from said chute onto said platform,a reciprocating member having an inclined slot synchronized toreciprocate in unison with said slidable pusher and a curved arm memberslidably and partially received in said inclined slot, the constructionbeing such that said arm is disposed at an angle to the directions oftravel of said reciprocating member and such that said arm is rigidlyconnected to said stop whereby said stop is operatively rotated uponreciprocation of said reciprocating member.

5. In a device of the type described automatic feed structure comprisingan extensible reservoir, means for adjusting the height of the remoteend of said reservoir in addition to any height adjustment afforded bythe extensible feature, rotatable stop means disposed proximate theadjacent end of said reservoir for regulating the flow of material fromsaid reservoir, a reciprocating member having an inclined slot and acurved arm rigidly connected to said stop and slidably and partiallyreceived in said slot at an angle to the directions of travel of saidreciprocating member adapted to operatively rotate said stop uponreciprocation of said reciprocating member.

6. In the feed structure of a device of the type described, a rotatablymounted stop so disposed as to impede the flow of material along saidfeed structure at certain positions of its rotation, a reciprocatingmember having an inclined slot, and a curved arm rigidly connected tosaid stop and slidably and partially received in said slot at an angleto the directions of travel of said reciprocating member adapted tooperatively rotate said stop upon reciprocation of said reciprocatingmember.

7. A cutting device of the type described comprising, a frame, knifestructure, a reciprocating pusher slidably mounted at least indirectlyon said frame and adapted to force articles through said knifestructure, a platform mounted on said frame to the rear of said knifeand adjacent thereto designed to support material immediately prior toits being forced through said knife structure by said pusher, anextensible chute disposed laterally of said frame and having one endadjacent the knife structure, said chute being adapted to deliver ontosaid platform material to be forced through said knife structure by saidpusher, means for adjusting the height of the extended end of saidchute, stop means rotatably mounted in. the path of material in saidchute adapted to at times halt the flow of material.

from said chute onto said platform, a reciprocating member having aninclined slot synchronized to reciprocate in unison with said slidablepusher and a curved arm member slidably and partially received in saidinclined slot, the construction being such that said arm is disposed atan angle tothe directions of travel of said reciprocating member andsuch that said arm is rigidly connected to said stop whereby said stopis operatively rotated upon reciprocation of said reciprocating member.

8. A cutting device of the type described comprising a frame, knifstructure operatively connected to said frame, a reciprocating pusherslidably mounted at least indirectly upon said frame and adapted toforce articles through said knife structure, a trough disposed generallylaterally of said frame adapted to deliver material before said knifestructure to be forced therethrough by said pusher, stop means rotatablymounted in the path of material in said trough adapted to at times haltthe flow of said material from said trough to a position before saidknife structure, a reciprocating member having an inclined slotsynchronized to reciprocate in unison with said slidable pusher and acurved arm member slidably and partially receivedin said inclined slot,the construction being such that said arm is disposed at an angle to thedirections of travel of said reciprocating member and such that said armis rigidly connected to said stop whereby said stop is operativelyrotated upon reciprocation of said reciprocating member.

9. In the feed structure of a device of the type described a rotatablymounted stop so disposed as to impede the flow of material along saidfeed structure at certain positions of its rotation, a

reciprocating member having an inclined slot, 7

and an. arm member operatively connected to said stop in a manner suchas to serve as a crank to rotate said stop, said arm being slidably andpartially received in said slot at an angle to the directions of travelof said reciprocating member adapted to operatively rotate said stopupon reciprocation of said reciprocating member,

10. A cutting device of the type described comprising a frame, knifestructure operatively connected to said frame, a reciprocating pusherslidably mounted at least indirectly upon said frame and adapted toforce articles through said knife structure, a trough disposed generallylaterally of said frame adapted to deliver material before said knifestructure to beforced therethrough by said pusher, stop means rotatablymounted in the path of material in said trough adapted to at times haltthe flow of said material from said trough to a position beforesaid-knife structure, a reciprocating member having an inclined slotsynchronized to reciprocate in unison with said slidable pusher, and anarm member slidably and partially received in said inclined slot, theconstruction being such that said arm is disposed at an angle to thedirections of travel of said reciprocating member and such that said armis rigidly connected to said stop whereby said stop is operativelyrotated upon reciprocation of said reciprocating member.

HARRY R. MARTIN.

